This year our ward planned the trip with a few guests from the other local wards. The 1995 and 1997 trips were planned on the Stake level. It was going to be different this year because we were not going over a full weekend. To help everyone keep the Sabbath, we went from Wednesday night to Saturday night. This was my fourth year and my youngest, Travis', second. About a week before the trip I put a new KMC SS81 chain a new Shimano Alivio freewheel and a coat of wax on my trusty GT Outpost. Trying to get the shifting dialed in was a trick. The derailluer or hanger may be tweaked a little and I don't have the tools to test them. Once it was working semi smoothly it was time for a test ride. Good enough, occasionally when shifting to 5th from 4th it chirps a little. It's livable though.

17 June 1998 we all started showing up at the Lexington park chapel, the first pick up point, about 3:30 p.m. My day started earlier of course. The night before we had a youth Temple Trip to the D.C. Temple. With that and other obligations much packing wasn't done before the day of the trip. After every thing was packed and ready to be loaded in the car I decided to check my bike over one last time. Mistake maybe?

I had recently purchased some new gel grips. I tried several different things to get the left one to stay put but nothing worked. I tried soap and water, hairspray, even super glue as a last resort. I cleaned it with alcohol and tried the hair spray again, still no luck. This repetitive process actually made it get worse. Even the super glue wouldn't stick very well. It just made the grip start breaking down. So in my haste to get ready and fix this grip I managed to strip the guts my bar end. Great now I had to stop and buy new grips and bar ends before the trip. So a stop at Blue Wind, one of our local shops, was in order on the way to the chapel. Now with new grips and bar ends in hand I arrived at the pick up point.

It didn't take long to get the grips and ends installed. Luckily the trailer wasn't there yet. I think this year's group was the largest that I have been on this trip with. At least it seemed that way. Both of my family's vehicles were enlisted (actually I volunteered) to take people to Cumberland and then Spring Gap Campground. I drove one and my wife Beth and a friend Diana Lancaster drove the other, Angie Reed rode with them too. Normally there aren't any women on this trip, but we needed the extra drivers and vehicles. The women would be driving two vans home the next day and Bruce would drive his back also. It turned out the trailer was so full of bikes that three vans ended up having loaded bike racks on them too. By the time we packed the bikes and gear from the people we picked up in Waldorf there were bikes tied on top of the full trailer. The trip to the sideling hill rest area was uneventful.

Well, almost, I was supposed to be about the third vehicle in line but I wasn't able to keep up with them. Before we started going up sideling hill, I passed Mark Henderson's van towing the trailer. When we pulled in we expected the lot to be full with the other vans. There were none. At first we thought they had decided not to stop and went on. After a few minutes Bruce Pratt pulled in with his group. Then came Mark and the trailer. I had not passed Bruce, the Reed/Kirby van or Beth. It turns out they had stopped for food. Using Bruce's cell phone I contacted Beth and found out she and the Reed/Kirby combo weren't far. The rest of the trip to Cumberland and Spring Gap was uneventful. Yea, right. I was bringing up the rear this time and I knew exactly where we were going, Taco Bell. We like to stop there to use a real bathroom for the last time for several days. Guess what? When I arrived, there was a van missing. We could see them driving around the area, it just took them longer to get there. Finally they showed up. After everyone was gassed up on Taco Bell we headed to Spring Gap. Our caravan became separated again. The last two vans (Beth and Reed/Kirby) turned too early due to a misunderstanding. They ended up in WV. So it took them a little longer to find the campground.

There had been boatloads of rain in the Cumberland area the week before this trip. The ground was soggy and wet. The campsites were rutty because of previous inconsiderate campers driving through the sites. The tents were set up. Beth and Diana had their own tent. It was too late to drive back that night. Each year we listen to conference tapes before lights out. This year we were listening to a talk from President Hinckley, the Prophet, the batteries ran out and it started to slooooowwww down so we had t end it early. After the evening prayer most people went to sleep except those that were going to put bikes together. Dennis Reed, Scott Henderson and Mark Henderson started putting together Dennis' and Mark the third's bikes together. I watched and asked questions. I'm not sure how much sleep they ended up getting that night. The next morning arrived early. Robert Erickson woke most the camp with "where are all those that were up talking late last night?" "You're not so talkative now." We go through this routine each year on the first morning. We all laugh and guiltily get up. Robert and all the guys that go on this trip are great. Harry Metzler was our head Trail Boss again. This was his third year supporting us. Without him the trip wouldn't be the same. We all have fond admiration for the way he says "git outta ma kichen" and "yo mamma dint come on thes triepp". I know those sayings are misspelled. I tried to spell it the way it sounds kinda! He has a German accent and is a lot of fun to have around. He is a good cook too. The cooking part is a fundamental requirement if you want to be a trail boss. It didn't take Harry and Ernesto, his assistant, long to get the pancakes going on the griddles. While breakfast was being prepared everyone broke camp and prepared for the days ride.

Riding Day One

As has been the custom the last few years it took a while to get things ready for the drive to Cumberland and the northern Terminus of the C & O Canal. We never get started as early as desired any more. Ernesto stayed in camp to keep an eye on things and finish cleaning up as the riders piled into the vans. I think all the vans but Bruce's transported people to Cumberland. Bruce left earlier I think. In Cumberland, we unloaded the bikes, said goodbye to the Women folk and after a prayer everyone was off. I drove one of the vans back to Spring Gap and Harry drove the other to get water and then return to camp. It is only about 11 miles from Cumberland to Spring Gap. It seemed to be taking the guys longer than expected to reach camp.

About an hour after we dropped them off everyone started to trickle in. They were covered in Mud. Allot of mud. The rain that made the campground soggy made the trail solid MUD. Scott Henderson had banged himself up pretty bad trying to go over a tree that had fallen across the trail. We started to have equipment problems right away. We had dealt with rain and mud before but the rain usually would keep washing the mud off. As Mark Henderson put it when it is raining "the water to mud ratio is much better". One brand new bike (Dan Borgalthaus' GT) had to have its rear wheel trued after the first 11 miles. I guess it wasn't stressed before. This trip was going to consume large amounts of chain and bearing lubricant. One rider dropped out at this point because of a previous knee injury. With the snacks packed, Beth made for me, I started riding when everyone arrived back at camp and then started south again.

Luckily most of the mud was behind us for the day. Travis was doing really well riding with some of the other boys from the ward. Bishop John Dickson was my riding partner for the first half of the morning. When we reached the Paw Paw Tunnel I made a fateful decision. John went through the Tunnel and I decided to go over the Tunnel Hill trail. There were others riding the trail too and I quickly caught them. It's a good thing too because I was slowing way down. I had discussed the trail with Travis and he made the same mistake I did. Neither of us was prepared for the climb and it totally sapped all of his energy. We walked almost all the way to the top, frequently stopping to drink and eat. When we reached the top we caught up with the Ericksons and Scott Henderson. He was on his 2nd trip over I think. It would later prove a challenge for him because of a tube with multiple snake bite punctures. His dad Mark was the only one to totally clear the hill trail that day. He dabbed once because a limb caused an unexpected gear change while clearing a fallen tree. He went back and tried it again and cleared it with no problems. When Scott met his dad Scott was able to get his bike going again with the spare tube Dad carried. Back on our downhill side of the Tunnel Hill Trail we started the trip down.

It started out pretty gentle but changed quickly. I was flying and really enjoyed the downhill. It wasn't long before I passed everyone that was going our way. Travis did a great job keeping up with me. Luckily our brakes were working great. Our hands were a little sore and tired from being on the brakes so much. There were some that walked down parts of the hill. As far as I know everyone that attempted the Tunnel hill trail made it one way or another. We had all survived but for Travis and I it had sapped almost all our energy from us. The day was now very warm and fuel (lunch) was still 20 or more miles away. I am always getting the distances messed up between stops. It took us quite a while to reach lunch but we were not the last ones in. The heat and trail conditions were starting to take its toll.

Harry and Ernesto had a big spread of cold cuts, fruit and bug juice or Gatorade setup for lunch. Unfortunately it couldn't compensate enough for some of the abuse our bodies had already been through. I know Travis and I regretted having done the Tunnel Hill Trail. Several riders were feeling actually sick. They became part of the trail boss crew for the rest of the day. We had our youngest rider ever this year. Everyone should be pleased with the accomplishments of the day even if they didn't ride the entire day. For many, personal endurance/distance records were set. After lunch, groups started out together toward Fort Frederick. I rode in a group with the Dennis Reed, Scott Henderson, the Bailey Boys, Harry's nephew, Steven Gladu and a couple others. This turned out to be a good group to ride with. We all like Ice Cream.

When we started our approach to Hancock MD, Dennis started talking about getting some Ice Cream. We left the towpath and crossed a PAVED Rail Trail then asked a pedestrian about an Ice Cream shop. He provided us with directions to the shop and information about the Rail Trail. When he started talking about it I remembered having read about it in Spokes magazine. The ice cream hit the spot and provided some much-needed energy. We were pretty gruff looking when we entered the store for the ice cream. All of us were muddy and sweaty but they didn't mind taking our money. The rail trail recently opened and is paved about 15' wide and goes from Hancock to Fort Frederick. It didn't take the rocket scientist in each of us long to figure out which way we should go. A rocky trail or a paved one, hmm, let's see now!

We chose the new rail trail for a change of scenery and the chance to make up some time. Scott and Dennis quickly got into a pace line and we were rolling. Well for a little while, the kids in the back couldn't keep up, even when they were tucked in. At one time we passed a couple and their kids riding their bikes. He was riding a nice mountain bike and she was riding a squeaky low end Huffy. As we went by her I told her, she needs to make her husband switch bikes with her. Another time we were riding in a gaggle and a guy on a full suspension Cannondale came flying up on us. We were pulling to the side and stopping to let the stragglers catch up. The Cannondale rider came into the middle of our group and almost caused an accident. Of course his point of view would be that we caused it. Everyone said Sorry and resumed riding. He was riding much quicker than we were and Scott wanted to see how fast the Cannondale was going so he caught him and paced him at over 25 for a while. Since Scott was ahead of us he scouted out a route to return to the towpath, since we didn't know how far up from Fort Frederick the State Park the trail came out. It worked out well getting back on the Towpath when we did because we were within a couple miles of the shortcut into the park. There was a surprise waiting for me when we arrived. Harry set up the tent. We have been room (tent) mates each year he has been on the trip. It was great to roll into camp and not have to worry about setting up it up. The girls had driven through the park earlier in the day and left a note for us too. Some how our group managed to come in ahead of several other groups. We were next to last to start after lunch but our detour cut a lot of time. It was nice not being last into camp. The traditional spaghetti dinner tasted great and provided us with some badly needed carbos. The Potomac was running high and fast from all the rains received up river. That didn't defer anyone from washing all the mud off though. Its amazing how refreshing a dip in a not-so-clean river can be. I don't remember hearing a conference talk that night. The dead batteries hadn't been replaced yet. I did receive a call from Beth on Mark's cell phone. It turns out she had a little car trouble on the way home.

On the trip up, Beth's car temperature gauge started going into the overheat zone. After sideling hill it stopped, so we hoped it would be ok since it was going home lightly loaded. We were wrong. It behaved itself until she was on the beltway. Then it started teasing her. When she reached Mechanicsville it went into the red and stayed there. Soon white smoke was pouring everywhere. She nursed it to the church and had someone give her a ride home. Thus my phone call on Thursday night. Some people from church looked at it quickly and said the head gasket was gone. . The car would sit there until we had the chance to look at it when I got home. At this point there was nothing I could do for the car. A good nights sleep was going to help me though.

Riding Day Two

As usual I had no problems getting to sleep. Waking up the next morning was a different story. The skies out side looked ominous and they were. We were going to get rain. I broke down the tent and stored my gear before it started. The rain started before breakfast was over. I had waterproofed the jacket Beth bought me from Performance before going, so it did a good job of keeping me dry. The hood is big enough that I was able to put it over my helmet. I had waterproofed the jacket Travis was to wear but it didn't seem to take. He started getting wet immediately, didn't eat much breakfast, said he was feeling sick and almost did. Wet pancakes don't always hit the spot. He decided not to ride that morning. I think he was still feeling weak from getting overheated the day before. As we were getting ready to leave for the day, I lost my temper at one of the kids. He had two flat tires and wanted to know who was going to fix them. He could have worked on them the night before. I just couldn't believe he thought it was some else's responsibility to fix them. We tried to show him but in the rush to get moving we couldn't find the leaks. He also ended up not riding that morning. Several other kids decided to not ride that morning because of the rain. The last few years there have been rash of kids that haven't ridden all of it. I think they are getting soft. Even though people had been warned about rain and this ride in June, we still had those that were unprepared. Some used trash bags as rain coats. Most of the bikes needed lots of lubrication to get moving that morning. Riding in the rain is not that bad sometimes, this was one of those days.

The trail was in pretty good shape, the rain was pretty steady and kept the trail covered in puddles. I quickly learned that the ground inside the puddle was often harder than the surrounding mud. Once again John was my riding companion and we always had a good conversation going. Mark Henderson rode with us some. As always he was able to find and add a spiritual side of the riding and weather. He told John and I about the three spiritual cancers. He said his wife Amy has taught him they are Complaining, Criticism and Complacency. So I did my best not to suffer from any of them while riding. I always enjoy riding with John and Mark. Places we normally stopped on this riding day we didn't this year because of the rain. As the trail came down next to the river, before the detour at McMahons' Mill, it was very rocky. There were lots of big rocks. I guess they are rebuilding those sections. Maybe they'll finish it before next year. The rocks took their toll on my rear wheel, a broken spoke, although I didn't know it yet. My wheel was acting like it was bent. Brakes were adjusted to give the extra clearance needed for now. We all arrived at the mill for a short break and the detour to lunch.

The rain was stopping and by the time we reached lunch it stopped all together. The detour trip was uneventful although the kids still have a tough time keeping to the right on the road. I love the steep descent back toward the canal and towpath. That last turn is a really sharp one and you need to be prepared for it or its trouble. This year, lunch was right after the turn so it saved a little backtracking. Harry set up the buffet right at the entrance to the park. It was a lot more convenient. Lots of cold cuts and sandwich stuff fit the bill perfectly. I'm not sure if Ernesto was still helping Harry or if one of the other adults was now. Brother Bailey (Beetle, Robert) showed up before lunch and was there to help too. In the past few years we have had trail boss assistants that decide they want to ride after they see the fun we are having. I'm pretty sure Ernesto rode after lunch. Several of the kids that didn't ride that morning were doing better rode following lunch, including Travis.

There is only a short, about 10 or 12 miles, ride after lunch on day two until we reach Snyder's Landing and prepare for the climb into Sharpsburg and Antietam Battlefield. It wasn't long after we started again that the boys found the cave. You can walk in but shortly thereafter you need to start stooping. Some of the boys explored it for a little while then we all started down the trail. This section of the trail is in pretty good shape. If it wasn't for the puddles, mud and soft sandy spots we might not have accumulated any more mud. In 1995 we had a bike wash in the canal at the end of the ride. This year we did it at the Snyder's landing boat ramp. Almost everyone rode their bikes into the water or to the waters edge to try to rinse mud off of bikes and bodies. I think Travis actually rode his bike off the edge of the ramp accidentally. If our shoes weren't wet before they were now. It felt really nice to get some of the crud off before our return to civilization, Sharpsburg. No accidents here like last year. Remember Mikes' knee.

We all started up the hills to town in a sort-of straight single file line, yea right! After a bunch of huffing and puffing we arrived in Sharpsburg. Once in town we all stopped at stop sign to enjoy Mark and Scott exchange quips. I wish I could remember what they were. All the adults were surprised at how quickly Scott responded. From the stop sign our rag-tag group crossed the main thoroughfare and started down the hill toward Antietam creek. The ride is a fast one, until you start the climb up the other side. I passed everyone and headed for the entrance at the top of the hill, the parking lot entrance. Everyone else went in at the lower entrance and rode up to the site in the grass. It didn't take long to realize something was missing at the campground. Unfortunately the big white van wouldn't start when they went to depart the lunch site. That was the van towing the trailer that carried most of the equipment, tents, and stuff. Fortunately for me I had packed my stuff and Travis's stuff in my van. We were the only ones with our gear. That didn't stop the boys from getting in the creek though. Dennis, Mark and a couple other adults took my van and went to retrieve the Great White. I went ahead set up my tent and started to replace the spoke on my bike. I noticed the rear tire was losing air too. I had to pull the freewheel off to change the spoke of course. Then the spoke I had was a hair to long but I installed it anyway and put loads of electrical tape over it before I put the rim's spoke band back on. I looked and looked for a leak but wasn't able to find it. I trued the wheel up and headed for the creek to clean up. The creek was super cold this year and running high and fast. I stayed long enough to get cleaned up. The retrieval of the Great White was accomplished. The guys had to bypass the ignition to get it started. Luckily it would do fine for the rest of the trip. Since they had really worked up a sweat now, as if the riding hadn't been enough, they all headed to the creek as soon as they got back. It was interesting watching a few people try to put up a rope swing. They did succeed. Some of those involved in the effort suffered from poison ivy for a while after the trip. Meanwhile back at camp Dinner was being prepared.

Since Ernesto was on the trip it was decided we would have Spanish rice, refried beans and burritos. He got everything started then all the other cooks took over. For a short while I think we were suffered from too many cooks in the kitchen syndrome. Actually, all the food was great. I was worried it might cause some intestinal problems but a little antacid helped with that. The last thing you want on a long bike ride is an upset stomach. The evening at Antietam always brings the traditional Ice Cream dessert party. After we have stuffed ourselves on huge slabs of multiple flavors we always donate the leftovers, usually a couple half gallons, to the other Scout troops that are camping nearby. They always are very surprised to see any one having Ice Cream on a campout. Once dessert was over it was time to do a little work on some of the bikes. Including mine.

My rear tire had gone flat again. This time I was able to find the tiny pinhole and the thorn that caused it. A little while later I was done with mine and started helping some of the kids and one adult with their bikes. The kids needed the experience to work toward Cycling merit badge. By the end of the trip every kid knew where to lubricate a bike and most had fixed flats. Now if I can get them to write about their experiences. The rest of the evening went quickly. The rope swing was being removed about the same time a ranger saw it. He was pleased they were concerned about safety and took it upon themselves to remove the safety hazard. Since we didn't have an extra day of rest this year it through off our routine. We did have a conference tape to listen to but no sitting around the campfire telling stories of our lives this year. The boys did have a capture the flag game against the other troops in the area. And our boys wiped up. The next morning would come earlier than the previous two. At least it seemed that way.

Riding Day Three

The morning dew was hanging low but it looked like we would have a good day for riding. It took a long time for everyone to break camp and get ready for the day. Once the trailer was loaded and the campsite cleaned up, we gathered around the table for group pictures. We all mounted our trusty bikes and proceeded down the hill toward the bridge over the creek. As usual we didn't do such a good job staying single file. As we started up the other side of the hill Dennis Reeds new Shimano chain broke. I gave him my "missing link" repair link and he rode the rest of the day with it. While Dennis and Mark were fixing the chain, I worked on Steve Horan's front brakes. He was flying down the hill and realized they were not functioning. It was an easy adjustment. We proceeded up the hill and made a left at the market, where we buy the Ice Cream. It goes up a steep but not real long hill before connecting with Harpers Ferry Rd. I started up the hill and almost hit a kid that stopped in front of me. Then I almost fell over trying to turn around to try again. That's how steep it was. The next try I was too klutzy and couldn't keep my front wheel on the ground. Soon John and I took our customary positions near the back. Some of the kids were already starting to appear tired. We tried to motivate the kids and followed the group to the towpath and canal. There we stopped for lubricant on bikes that were neglected the night before. OK now we can ride.

The final day of riding we always get to see some of the best sites of the ride including the Monacacy aqueduct, several small aqueducts, Harpers Ferry, and Great Falls. Almost from the start we were plagued with kids riding very slowly. Even though we had encouraged them to wear proper footwear we some that wore aqua shoes and the soft soles helped to wear out the muscles quickly. John and I were riding near the back with brother Heath and his riding buddy and these kids kept taking break after break. Eventually brother Heath moved ahead and we stayed behind to move the slower kids along. We tried to keep them in front of us most of the time. We even took breaks and within a short time of starting again we would catch up with them. There were some really tricky parts of the trail this day. I've never seen so much mud in so many places. We tried to keep our spirits up by goofing off as we rode but had to still be careful. With all the mud one wrong move and you have a mouth full. I was jumping through puddles acting crazy having fun and pretending to be young. At lunch some of the kids decided to not ride that afternoon. The mud had taken its toll. John and I proceeded to make up a little time until we started encountering mud again. In some places it would just try to swallow the tires. I would whoop and holler when I made it through some of them. John and I would see someone riding North and say "They haven't been on the trail long" because they were still clean. There was one section that was a mean mixture of red clay and mud together. Talk about slippery. At one point we saw a northbound couple walking their nice (expensive) tandem mountain bike around some puddles and mud. They were in for a surprise. There were areas that were impossible to get through without getting muddy, On or off the bike. The trail improves dramatically as we approached civilization.

By approaching civilization I'm referring to the rewatered sections of the canal above Great Falls. The canal is carved along the rock cliffs and the towpath is only a foot or two above the water level for the most part. This section is used by allot of tourist so the National Park Service gives it extra attention. It is by far one of the most beautiful sections along the trail. One of my other favorite sections for scenery is near Harpers Ferry. The Potomac is beautiful where it meets the Shenandoah. I've always wanted to go wading there. We saw a bunch of tubers in the river below the junction. The Harpers Ferry section of the trail was really torn up by the storms in 1996. Repairs have actually made it better than it was previously in some areas. We eventually caught up with some of the kids from our group above Great Falls. At Great Falls we stopped for some photos. John and I stopped at the overlook and the kids went on. We told them to make sure they took the detour near the Billy Goat trail. The towpath is poorly marked for a section that has not been rewatered there. The Detour is an easier ride too. John and I planned on taking the detour and when we reached that point it was confirmed. There was a sign posted saying the towpath was closed for repairs. We pushed the bikes up the stairs and across the bridge and followed the detour to the towpath. As we walked the bikes down the steps to the trail, we both commented that we couldn't believe Jeremy had tried to ride down them in 1994. He received a fractured arm for that stunt.

The boys that had gone ahead when we went to the overlook were waiting for us on the towpath. Every now and then a female cyclist or runner would pass us going the opposite direction. As they passed you could smell their perfume in the air. After having been around the guys for three days the perfume was a nice change for our senses. The rest of the ride was uneventful until we arrived at the pick up point. Beth was waiting there for me. Marilee was there for John too. This is the first year the girls have met us at the pick up point. After I kissed Beth I took a deep sniff of her perfume. She smelled so good. I really missed her. She was behind me as I attempted to ride across the few steps between the trail and the parking lot. For some stupid reason I managed to lock up the front brake. Oops! Ouch! I did an Endo and ended up on my back. The bike hit me in the back of the helmet as it followed me. I was on the ground laughing although my left knee had a nice gash in it. Oh well, so much for completing the trip without any injuries. We took some photos of our mud covered selves and steeds. Including one of our back ends. That's the end of our 1998 C & O Canal bike trip. All that was left was a quick cleanup and pack-up at Carderock and the drive home. It would take a long time to get all the mud off the bike in the next week. I'm really not sure if I don't still have some hiding somewhere on the bike.